What it backs up30 of 30
Where backups go10 of 20
Safety and recovery19 of 25
Price25 of 25
backup tool · Paragon Technologie GmbH
Paragon Backup & Recovery Community Edition
Free disk-image backup for home Windows PCs, with paid upgrades sold as Paragon Hard Disk Manager Advanced.
Paragon stopped selling the paid Backup & Recovery for Windows on October 8, 2025; its features now come with Hard Disk Manager, and the free Community Edition remains3,1.
In short
- The Community Edition is free for non-commercial use and backs up whole disks, the system, or chosen files and folders1.
- It builds a WinPE rescue USB stick that restores the whole system when Windows will not start1.
- Hard Disk Manager Advanced costs $19.95 the first year for one PC, then $24.95, or $79.95 once for a 3-PC perpetual licence2.
- Backups go to local, external or network storage, with optional 256-bit AES encryption4.
- Only 64-bit Windows 10 (1809 or newer) and Windows 11 are supported1.
The free Community Edition suits home users who want a system image and a bootable rescue stick at no cost1. Paying for Hard Disk Manager Advanced adds disk copying, partitioning and email alerts, and it is sold as a perpetual licence as well as a subscription1,2. The catch: Paragon lists no cloud destination, and the Community Edition is for non-commercial use only4,1.
Best for: Home users who want a free system image backup to a local or external drive.
Where the points come from
What it backs up 30 of 30 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Full system image | YesBacks up disks and the OS partition with its boot partition, and restores the whole system from WinPE1. | 8 / 8 |
| File and folder backup | YesBacks up files, volumes or whole disks1. | 4 / 4 |
| Incremental backups | YesFull, incremental and differential backups are supported2,4. | 6 / 6 |
| Scheduled backups | YesBackup schedules start jobs automatically1. | 4 / 4 |
| Bootable rescue media | YesRecovery Media Builder makes a bootable WinPE USB stick or ISO to restore the system1,2. | 8 / 8 |
Where backups go 10 of 20 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Destinations | Local or USB drive, Network share or NASLocal folders, external drives and mapped network shares4. | 10 / 20 |
Safety and recovery 19 of 25 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Encrypted backups | YesPassword-protected backups can use 256-bit AES4. | 7 / 7 |
| Backups shielded from ransomware | Not published | 0 / 6 |
| Restore to different hardware | YesParagon documents restoring the OS on new hardware by injecting the needed drivers3,4. | 6 / 6 |
| Versions and retention rules | YesBackup strategies set retention and delete old backup images automatically1. | 6 / 6 |
Price 25 of 25 points
| Rule | What is published | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Free edition | YesCommunity Edition is free for non-commercial use1. | 10 / 10 |
| First-year price, one PC | $19.95/yrHard Disk Manager Advanced one-year licence, $19.95 for the first year2. | 8 / 8 |
| One-time licence | YesHard Disk Manager Advanced is sold as a $79.95 perpetual licence for 3 PCs2. | 7 / 7 |
The rule behind each line: how we score backup tools.
Plans and prices
As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.
| Plan | Price as listed | Per month | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backup & Recovery Community EditionNon-commercial use | Free1 | $0 | Disk, system, file and folder backup; WinPE recovery media |
| Hard Disk Manager Advanced, 1 year1 computer | $19.95 first year, then $24.95/year2 | $1.66 | Renews automatically |
| Hard Disk Manager Advanced, 3PC3 computers | $79.95 one-time2 | – | Perpetual licence |
The one-year licence is $19.95 for the first year instead of the regular $24.95, and renews automatically2. Perpetual licences get free updates but discounted, not free, upgrades2.
Strengths
- Free system image backup with scheduling and retention for home use1.
- The rescue media builder makes a bootable WinPE USB stick or ISO1,2.
- Paragon documents restoring Windows on new hardware by injecting drivers3,4.
- A one-time 3-PC licence is sold, so a subscription is optional2.
- Backups can be encrypted with 256-bit AES4.
Limits
- The Community Edition is free only for non-commercial use1.
- Backups go to local, external or network storage; Paragon lists no cloud destination4.
- The one-year licence blocks the program when it lapses until you renew2.
- Paragon's BioNTdrv.sys disk driver had five flaws, one abused in ransomware attacks, before a 2025 fix5.
Other backup tools
- 1
EaseUS Todo BackupHome users who want a free edition with schedules and encryption100/100$39.95/yrfirst-year price, one PC - 2
DuplicatiPeople who want free encrypted backups to cloud storage they already pay for86/100$24/yrfirst-year price, one PC - 4
IDriveHouseholds backing up several PCs who also want a full system image82/100$3/yrfirst-year price, one PC - 5
AOMEI BackupperHome users who want a one-time licence and a free starting point82/100$39.95/yrfirst-year price, one PC
Paragon Backup & Recovery Community Edition vs EaseUS Todo Backup · Paragon Backup & Recovery Community Edition vs Duplicati · All 9 backup tools
Sources
- Paragon Backup & Recovery Community Edition, Paragon Software. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Hard Disk Manager Advanced, Paragon Software. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Backup & Recovery, Paragon Software. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Paragon Hard Disk Manager Version 17 User Manual, Paragon Software. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- VU#726882: Paragon Software Hard Disk Manager product line contains five memory vulnerabilities within its BioNTdrv.sys driver, CERT Coordination Center. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Website: www.paragon-software.com/free/br-free · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Paragon Technologie GmbH.